


A Glimpse of Honesty

by kimirce



Series: next stop, anywhere [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Eavesdropping, Gen, Oneshot, POV Arthur, Semi Reveal, partial reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:22:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29364690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimirce/pseuds/kimirce
Summary: Princes do not hide behind doorframes to eavesdrop on their unsuspecting servants. At least, that's what Arthur tells himself. In practice, things work out a little differently.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: next stop, anywhere [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838635
Comments: 5
Kudos: 107





	A Glimpse of Honesty

Arthur was just about to push open the door to Gaius’ chambers, drawing in breath to shout for his wayward servant, when he stopped short. An unfamiliar voice was speaking.

“…where is the willow bark?” It was a woman’s voice. Arthur thought he had heard it before, but found himself unable to place it.

“There’s some in the basket on the second shelf,” Merlin’s voice answered.

Merlin! What was he doing here? He was supposed to be attending Arthur on the practice field. The delegation from Gedref had brought six knights, all of whom were in the training grounds awaiting the chance to spar with Camelot’s knights and its prince. Instead, Arthur was searching for his manservant, who should have been there already.

There was a shuffling sound as the woman searched, and then a triumphant “I found it!”

“You can leave it on the table here,” Merlin directed.

“Excellent,” said the woman.

It went quiet for a moment, and Arthur was about to burst in and demand Merlin’s presence, because princes did not listen to their servants at doors. But then, Merlin spoke again, and Arthur was leashed by his curiosity. What was Merlin doing?

“I can’t thank you enough for your help, Lady Ailith,” he said.

Lady Ailith? That was how Arthur recognized her. She was Queen Marda’s lady-in-waiting. What was she doing with Merlin?

“I’m glad to help, Merlin. This is far too much work for one person. And please, call me Ailith.”

Arthur could hear Merlin’s smile as he answered. “Ailith, then. Could you pass me the feverfew?”

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

A short moment passed before Lady Ailith spoke again. “How much do we need?”

Merlin hummed, contemplating. “There’s about twenty who are sick. If we make enough for a dozen doses, I can take that to Gaius and then come back to help you with the rest. And we should probably make extra. I expect we’ll need it over the next few days.”

“Of course. That makes sense. Except, Merlin…” Lady Ailith hesitated.

“Yes?” Merlin prompted.

Lady Ailith continued. “We really could use an extra pair of hands. And surely there is someone else who can deliver to Gaius. Can’t we summon one or two of the town’s healers to the castle?”

Arthur turned this conversation over in his head. Merlin was aiding Gaius by making medicine. Arthur hadn’t even known he knew how to do that. And it was for a sickness in the lower town. Why wasn’t he aware of this?

He was drawn out of his thoughts by a low, bitter laugh. It was a surprising response to Lady Ailith’s reasonable suggestion, and apparently she thought so too.

“What?” She asked, sounding confused and a little incensed.

Merlin blew out a breath. “I mean no disrespect, my lady. But the town does not have any healers.”

There was a gasp, and Arthur felt surprised himself. He did not know of any healers in Camelot aside from Gaius, it was true. But surely there were others in Camelot, simply less skilled than the Court Physician? It was not something that he had ever given much thought to.

Lady Ailith’s surprise seemed even greater than his own. “What? Why?”

There was a pause, and a scraping sound which Arthur assumed was the mortar and pestle.

“Because Uther killed them all,” Merlin answered bluntly.

What?

Lady Ailith echoed his thoughts. “That doesn’t make any sense! Why…oh.” She had clearly come to a realization Arthur had missed, and he leaned closer, frustrated.

“Yes.” Merlin’s voice was bitter, and it was a tone that Arthur was surprised to hear from his irritatingly cheerful manservant.

Merlin continued. “No healer or herbalist of any kind dares to live in Camelot, because anyone with knowledge of herbs or medicine is the first to be accused of sorcery.”

Arthur felt his eyes go wide. That couldn’t be right.

“There are still a couple of women in the town who could help, but we don’t dare ask. Bringing them to Uther’s attention would be as good as a death sentence. Camelot can’t afford to lose its only remaining midwives.”

“I imagine not,” Lady Ailith breathed. “I’m surprised they haven’t fled already.”

“They’re both old. Grenna told me that she already watched most of her friends burn, and that she’s too old to run. She says she’d rather stay and do all she can to help before she dies, one way or another.”

Anger lit Lady Ailith’s voice. “That’s awful!”

“Yes.”

“But… two midwives and a court physician cannot be enough for a city this big,” Lady Ailth said.

“No,” Merlin agreed. “Gaius told me that the number of women and babes who die every year in childbirth has increased tenfold since the Purge. There’s constant infection and illness that could so easily have been prevented, but we just can’t help everyone. Gaius is the only person in Camelot who can practice medicine without earning the king’s suspicion.” Merlin’s tone was angry, and quietly anguished.

Lady Ailith huffed disdainfully. “I knew Uther was a tyrant, and cruel. But surely this goes too far.”

Merlin snorted. “I doubt he understands the concept of going too far. Uther doesn’t care about the people. Only for his own pride and power. Fear and hatred rule his heart.”

“Indeed.” The quiet sound of grinding and mixing herbs continued. Arthur stared at the doorframe, collecting his thoughts. He’d had no idea Merlin felt that way about his father.

It was a few minutes before either of them spoke again. Arthur waited, debating with himself. Should he reveal himself? Stay hidden and continue to listen? Slip away and return to the practice fields?

He hadn’t yet decided when Lady Ailith broke the silence. “What about you?” she asked.

“What?” Merlin said, distracted.

“Is it safe for you to do this?”

“Not particularly,” Merlin answered with a chuckle. “But that’s why I’m not officially Gaius’ apprentice. Also, the king is rather thoroughly convinced that I’m an idiot, so it’s not too great a concern.”

Lady Ailith laughed. “Was it hard to convince him of that?” She teased.

Merlin laughed too. “Not at all! I didn’t have to do a thing; Arthur does most of the convincing for me.”

Lady Ailith laughed again, and then hummed thoughtfully. “And what of Arthur?”

“What about him?” Merlin asked.

Lady Ailth’s voice sounded resigned. “My queen did not wish to come to Camelot. Uther’s cruelty is legendary. If we did not need this treaty so badly… well. Since we have little choice but to try and make Camelot our ally, Queen Marda hopes to learn about Uther’s heir, in hopes of a truer alliance in the future. Is he kinder than his father?”

There was a silence. Arthur held his breath.

“Arthur is everything his father is not,” Merlin answered finally. “He is honorable and compassionate, and cares deeply for Camelot and her people. He can be a bit of a self-centered prat, but he is still growing into the man he will become. I know that he will be a better king than Uther could ever dream of being.”

“My queen will be glad to hear it. You have a great deal of faith in him,” Lady Ailith said.

“He deserves it,” Merlin replied softly.

 _Why?_ Arthur wondered. What had he done to deserve that faith? Apparently, he was more than a little oblivious to the happenings in his own kingdom.

Lady Ailith’s assertion rung in his mind. _Uther’s cruelty is legendary,_ she had said. His father could be harsh, it was true, but he was a just king who cared deeply for his kingdom. And yet, both Merlin and Lady Ailith – and apparently Queen Marda – seemed to take it as a given that Uther was some kind of tyrant.

 _Uther killed them all,_ Merlin had said, his voice hard and bitter, entirely at odds with the cheerful manservant Arthur had thought he knew.

“I’ll bring these to Gaius,” Merlin said inside the room, startling Arthur out of his reverie. Arthur’s eyes widened, and he scrambled back, ducking around the corner before Merlin could leave the room and see him.

Merlin left, and Arthur stayed where he was, staring at a wall. He knew his father only meant the best for Camelot. He just tended to be a bit overzealous about magic. Given the evils of magic that Arthur himself had witnessed, it was understandable. But if Uther’s actions engendered such anger in people like Merlin, if they resulted in innocents dying unnecessarily…

Maybe Uther’s choices weren’t the best for Camelot after all.

Arthur blew out a breath. The delegates from Gedref were still waiting for him. This matter would have to be dealt with at another time. From here on out, he would have to pay much closer attention to the effects of his father’s actions – and apparently, much closer attention to Merlin. Though he wouldn’t confront Merlin, not yet. He needed to understand more. What Merlin had said was very close to treason, but Arthur couldn’t quite bring himself to think Merlin was entirely unjustified in his opinion.

Glancing around the hall, ensuring he wasn’t seen, Arthur left to return to the training fields. After the delegation from Gedref departed, he would have some thinking to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all liked this newest addition to the series! I'll admit, though, this snippet isn't one of my favorites, and I have exactly zero plans to do anything else with it, so I'm pretty happy to post it as is. 
> 
> As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Feel free to hit me up on [tumblr](https://kimirce.tumblr.com/) \- and check out the posts in my [merlin](https://kimirce.tumblr.com/tagged/merlin) tag!


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